Drinking Your Veggies and Loving It !

Feb

9

2013

So Mom , you know how hard it is to get the kid’s to eat their vegetables right ? ….. but, we all know how they love to drink juice !!!!!!!!!!!! So I have been searching to find the yummiest Juicing Recipes, and I did just that, as I ran across Sylvie Shirazi blog, “Gourmande in the Kitchen”…. this girl LOVE’S her food…this is what she says about food !! LOL

“Food makes my world go ’round: thinking about it, making it, eating it, photographing it, and talking about it. I’ve been cooking, reading, eating and immersing myself in everything related to food for as long as I can remember.”

Whether you are new to juicing, or an old pro, wanting to eat clean and re-energize, something no supplement is a match for, the vitamins, minerals and nutrients found in whole foods like vegetables take the cake !

So let’s teach our kid’s “Good Habit’s” ..

Sylvie says, we’re often told to eat our vegetables, and there’s a good reason for this: a multitude of types and colors of produce provides you with a variety of the nutrients that your body craves. The antioxidants, minerals and micro-nutrients in these foods improve how we feel, helping us stay healthy so that we can hopefully prevent or cope better with disease and injuries.

Juicing provides the body with the purest form of natural vitamins and minerals without the harmful counteractive effects of preservatives and additives that come packed into so much of our processed foods and juices. Vitamins and minerals keep the immune system in tip-top shape, also giving the skin what it needs to be healthy and glowing ! There are often additives in bottled juices such as sugars and preservatives, which in the long run may not be healthy. With concerns about pesticides even in store-bought juices, you can control what you put in your body when creating your own juice, by making sure you wash off your fresh vegetable under water before beginning juicing . Juicing also adds natural fiber to your diet, and since most at-home juice mixtures contain pulp, there will be more vitamins retained from the juicing process, which can be lost when processed by a manufacturing plant.

Sylvie says, green juices are king when it comes to juicing as they are both nutrient rich and low in sugar, but if you are hesitant to plunge into green drinks, root based juices are a naturally sweeter alternative that still pack a nutritional punch. Start with carrot juice and gently ease your way over to spinach juice and other leafy greens

Kohlrabi belongs to the cabbage family of vegetables, is high in Vitamin C and B .

Ingredients

6 carrots, scrubbed

2 small or 1 large kohlrabi, scrubbed and peeled

1 tbs. honey

Instructions

Chop everything into chunks that fit into the juicer chute.

Pass all the ingredients through the juicer, alternating ingredients.

Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove foam if desired.

Pour juice into ice-filled glasses and serve immediately.

Gluten Free, Grain Free, Paleo, Vegan, Raw

Spinach and Pea Shoot Green Juice

Pea shoot offers Vitamin A, C and folate. Spinach is rich in Vitamin K , Vitamin A and Maganese. The apple and lemon add a little tartness to the fresh flavors of spinach and pea shoot.

Ingredients

2 oz/56g pea shoots

3 oz/85g of baby spinach

1 small handful of parsley leaves

4 celery stalks

1 tbs honey

1 large lemon, peeled and seeds removed

¼ of a large tart green apple, seeds removed

Instructions

Chop everything into chunks that fit into the juicer chute.

Pass all the ingredients through the juicer, alternating hard and soft ingredients.

Strain juice to remove foam if desired.

Pour juice into ice-filled glasses and serve immediately.

Gluten Free, Grain Free, Paleo, Vegan, Raw

Beet and Sweet Potatoe “Roots” Juice

Sweet potatoes and carrots are high in beta-carotene, Vitamin C and antioxidants. Beets are rich in phytonutrients .

Ingredients

1 small beet scrubbed, peeled

½ a large sweet potato scrubbed, peeled

4 carrots, scrubbed

1 tbs. honey

Instructions

Chop everything into chunks that fit into the juicer chute.

Pass all the ingredients through the juicer, alternating ingredients.

Strain to remove foam if desired.

Pour juice into ice-filled glasses and serve immediately.

Gluten Free, Grain Free, Paleo, Vegan, Raw

Juicing is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family. Freshly pressed juice in the morning or anytime during the day can be easier on your digestive system and a fabulous way to start your and your families day.

Juicing Tips:

1.) Buy organic vegetables and fruits. You don’t want any pesticide residue in your fresh juice. You don’t peel fruits and vegetables when you juice so this is very important.

2.) Start with vegetables and fruits you like and are used to first. Juice vegetables like carrots, celery and cucumber which have a light, pleasing taste and then slowly introduce dark leafy greens as your palate becomes accustomed to the taste of fresh vegetable juice.

3.) Try to avoid making juices that are high in sugar content. While fruit juices can be a sweet treat every once in a while, they are high in sugar and can affect blood sugar levels. Try to mix in vegetables and make a juice that has more vegetables than fruit.

4.) Along those lines stay away from using too many root vegetables like beets and carrots b/c they have a slightly higher sugar content. Those are fine to start with but use them judiciously.

5.) Drink your juice as soon as possible after pressing. If possible, drinking the juice within 1 hour is optimal as it starts to lose its nutritional value as time passes. If you do store your juices keep them in a glass container in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

6.) Prepare your ingredients the night before to make juicing easier in the mornings. Washing everything ahead of time is a real time saver. Have your juicer out on the counter easily accessible as well so you don’t have to pull it out every time you need to use it.

Let the kid’s join in , they can help you shop for the vegetables, prepare and juice !!! Enjoy